Our Experience
Our love for and deep understanding of the travel industry fuels our unrelenting creativity, and continued evolution in the marketplace makes us the number one travel marketing experts.
The Minds Behind Alliance Connection

Melissa Mango
President & Founder
Armed with over 25+ years of sales and marketing experience, acquired during her executive tenure at Sandals Resorts and David’s Bridal, Melissa has grown Alliance Connection into a portfolio powerhouse of 600+ brands through dynamic 360° marketing approaches for our global travel and tourism clients.

Madison Salyer
Executive Director
Madison spearheads the nation’s leading promotional campaigns and produces exceptional results while working with world-class brands such as GMA, The Today Show, Ellen, Melia Hotels & Resorts, Universal Music Nashville, CMT, Hard Rock Hotels, Sony Music, and AMR Collection.

Bob Foglia
VP Marketing & Production Development
Bob has an extensive background in entertainment and influencer marketing, skills acquired throughout his 7-year career at Sony Music. His work can be seen in innovative campaigns with Lyft, American Airlines, Vevo, Target, Pepsi and The KIDZ BOP Experience at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotels.

April Neumann
Sr. Director, Strategic Marketing Programs
With over a decade of experience in PR and Marketing, including leading partnerships and events for Sandals and Beaches Resorts, April spearheads strategic marketing programs including strategy, design, operations, and implementation of integrated brand partnerships such as HyperX, Wheel of Fortune, and iHeart Radio activations.

Carrie Jones
Director, Partnership Development
Carrie brings more than 20 years of hospitality experience to the Alliance Connection team. During her career, she has spearheaded promotional and sales initiatives for Omni Hotels & Resorts, GoGo Worldwide Vacations, and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Carrie’s fearless drive, tenacity, and thirst for mutual wins help her curate over 50+ promotional partnerships a year for resort clients.

Matt Cooper
Business Development Strategist
Matt cultivates collaborative partnerships in the travel and tourism industry, driving sales, marketing, and promotional activities. As CMO at the Caribbean Hotel Association, Matt led sustainable business growth through alliances with JetBlue, Expedia, MasterCard, and Travelzoo. Today you will find Matt leading Alliance Connection’s new business development strategy and industry relations.

Dana Baasiri
Sr. Director, PR & Content Marketing
Dana empowers travel and hospitality brands to tell their story through powerful messaging and content strategy through her brand; I’m Just A Publicist. Working hand in hand with Alliance Connection, she leads content marketing and copywriting for the company’s robust travel portfolio…
Dana Baasiri
Dana empowers travel and hospitality brands to tell their story through powerful messaging and content strategy through her brand; I’m Just A Publicist. Working hand in hand with Alliance Connection, she leads content marketing and copywriting for the company’s robust travel portfolio.
Dana has spent the last decade leading communication for globally recognized hospitality brands, including the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotels, Nobu Hotels, Eden Roc, and UNICO 20˚87˚ Hotel Riviera Maya.

Vero Vilaro
Sr. Partnership Marketing Manager
A natural wanderlust, master of international affairs, equipped with a 9-year background in marketing partnerships, promotional partnerships and business development across the travel & entertainment industries. Armed with vast experience growing…
Vero Vilaro
A natural wanderlust, master of international affairs, equipped with a 9-year background in marketing partnerships, promotional partnerships and business development across the travel & entertainment industries.
Armed with vast experience growing revenue and brand awareness in global markets (LATAM, The Caribbean, Europe, Oceania, Asia Pacific and Middle East) through strategic narratives and integrated marketing approaches involving TV & digital integrations, experiential marketing and brand activations endorsed by talent and influencers.
Highly passionate about the ever-changing travel industry, inspired by multiculturality, and driven by the power of influencing buying decisions through story-telling.

Sophia Portillo
Account Manager, Strategy & Planning
Sophia joins our team with an impressive background in account management, agency experience, and proven success driving marketing strategies. As Account Manager, Strategy and Planning, she supports all client initiatives from strategic planning and optimization of integrated 360˚ marketing campaigns, to creative ideation for continued growth across our client portfolio.

Malaika Hollis
Manager, Public Relations
Malaika is a PR rising star who is passionate about strategic storytelling. With an agency background, she has led integrated marketing and PR campaigns, in addition to dynamic brand partnerships for fashion and beauty brands. Malaika supports the development and execution of PR strategies for our clients, maximizing brand awareness in creative and tactful ways.
Where In The World
We’re headquartered in the heart and soul of Detroit — a city that exudes resilience and passion that is reflected in our work — with strategically located satellite offices in Nashville, Miami, and Los Angeles. All of our locations are dedicated to providing the best marketing solutions for the travel industry.
info@allianceconnection.com

Detroit

Nashville

Miami
